Ruling a Fairy Tale Kingdom

Sesssion 30

March 4713 (continued)

Week 2 to Week 3

We continue on and come to an area of the forest (HEX 1713 caontinued) that feels sad and abandoned. There are forest causeways throughout this area. We move along one of the causeways.

Alexi spots small ‘swarms’ of insects (not monster swarms) – they are size of the house cats. They are the magical beast version of ‘stirges’. There are hundreds of them. The are probably going to bother anyone who climbs into a tree or flies by.

We move towards a pool of calm dark water in a secluded clearing. We move towards the pool. Leanna believes it to be magical (and so are the tress – from a bloom effect.) Leanna believes the magic of the area inhibits magical teleports – limiting them to 30 feet.

Two figures rise out of the water – dusky brown – female humanoid n form. Oewyn believes they are nymphs. There is a discussion. The Queens Chambers are in her tower. “Are here to serve her or slay her?” We are not here to serve her.

Kaiden detects hopefulness in them during the discussion.

They key into her tower is in the form of a mirror that has been broken. We’ll need to find the shards to reform the key. Ava asks where we can find the shards.

Many of the denizens of the area are not happy with how things are going. They may have information about the locations of the shards.

If we swear to defeat her, they will give us the first shard. It is at the bottom of their pond and Ava dives in to retrieve it. She returns with a large fragment of a mirror (fist sized and inch thick).

Sapphyl and Lasralith are their names. The deep forest is very dangerous – stay to the causesways. Rumor among the fey – if all 5 shards are brought together it could be a magical enhancer.

Other Fragments:

Putrid Bog – Right at the fork

Embedded in the Trunk of a Hanging Tree – Also to the right.

Beneath a mound of smooth black stones – Left Route

One is in a deep pit of shadow – Left Route

Lasralith surfaces with a cloth bundle.

3 potions of cure moderate

1 scroll – restoration

We leave the pond and continue the left path. Along this causeway, we are ambushed. Eight huge spiders (look like black widows) appear from ambush.

Combat

8 x Huge Spiders

At a fork, we go left. There is a clearing with stones. There are carcasses and a punch of creatures with tiny white eyes. 9 bug bears and a bug bear with dragon like wings.

Things quickly devolve into a fight.

Combat

8 x Bugbears

1 x Leader Bugbear

His first action is to fly over to use and blow a negative energy breath weapon over us.

We take them down with Leanna casting Confusion with half of them and Alexi intimidating the other half.

We search the creatures for loot. and the pile of stones. The worm corpse is a Behir.

We go back to the most current fork and go the right path.

At the next fork, we go left. We come to a clearing with a pit in it. On one side the chasm are worn steps in the side. It is very very dark.

Tying ourselves together, we descend 60 feet into the hole to a ledge. The ledge has a cave. 50 ft further down is a inky black cloud. (Open gate to the plain of shadow)

Inside the cave, opens into a natural chasm. At the center is a raised area, there are steps leading up to a stone ring. There is a pool of water in the worked stone. There is a glint at the bottom of the pool.

Combat

1 x Shadow Dragon

2 x Shadows

Half the party is almost banished to the plane of shadow, but we make it out of the chasm. We trek back to the Behir Lair and hole up there to lick our wounds.

Leanna does some preventative care.

During the first watch, a figure appears put of the shadows at the entrance. It’s hauntingly beautiful woman. Shadow pools around her. Power radiates from her.

“I know you are gathering all my shards. If you bring them to me, we can enter into a pact. You have problems to the south – I can deal with them.”

Things devolve and her form disappears saying “Kill them”. We then fight 2 x Shadow Mastiffs

Combat

2 x Shadow Mastiffs

We win, but this fight breaks up our ‘long term care’ and then we make it through to morning.